Courses Courses

We will focus on the human experience of eating, and the rituals and modes of communication involving community, food and drink. The potter's wheel will be our primary means of fabrication for the creation of objects, parts and multiples. Glaze formulation, surface techniques and firing of kilns will be incorporated in this class. Required of all Ceramic Majors. Open to all.

The focus of this class will be the ceramic object as a vehicle for two and three-dimensional expression. We will introduce the potter's wheel, handbuilding/forming techniques along with glazing and surface treatments. Kiln firing will be introduced, including gas and electric kilns. We will discuss artworks made from clay in the past, present and future. This class is open to all: take as preparation for other course work in the Ceramics Department.

Wheel based vessels and sculptural forms will be explored in this class. The potter's wheel is an important tool for artists and designers who want to create compositional forms using multiple parts. Glaze making, glazing and kiln firing will be incorporated into this course. Lectures on historical and contemporary ceramic works will be included to further help student create a personal direction. Some wheel work suggested. Required of all Ceramic Majors. Open to all.

Through lectures, readings, and discussions, this seminar will explore important developments in the history of the reception, study, and photography of African art, from the 15th century to present day. An analysis of a number of key publications by pioneering scholars in the field will illustrate the multiple approaches that have been developed to gain insight into Africa’s artistic heritage. Special attention will be devoted to the dialogue between anthropological and art-historical perspectives on the arts of Africa. This seminar will also address the politics and ethics of the acquisition and representation of African art, as well as the methodological challenges connected to their formal and stylistic diversity, and issues of artistic production and patronage.

This course will concentrate on the character creation process, focusing on all aspects of character concept and development. Students will learn to understand character types, body language and production techniques. In the fast growing gaming and animation industry, the ability to create characters is essential. Graphic novels/ comics, children’s books and advertising also rely heavily on an illustrators ability to create characters that meet client demands/ needs and make them part of a cohesive world. Offered spring.

This one-half semester course is framed by the theme of Community and Collaboration. The students and instructor work collaboratively to define and explore "community" as local place and learning environment. They identify and activate connections among charette members and their specified community in order to develop a consensual creative response. Through sustained exploration of one theme, the Charette emphasizes the development of skills for critical and creative thinking, experiential learning, problem-solving, and collaboration. Through materials exploration, making processes, and critique, the Charette forges links with the visual, tactile and manual skill sets taught in other Foundation classes. Each student's effort, progress, and work will contribute to a collaborative project developed over 7 weeks, to include both a charette documentation log as well as a collaborative 2D, 3D, or 4D form. Offered fall.

This one-half semester course is framed by the theme of Self and other Voices. As an exploration of one's self in relation to culture and society, the course facilitates increased self-knowledge and helps students uncover their views of "other." The students and instructor work collaboratively to define and explore "other voices," cultivate connections with those other voices, and develop creative responses. Through sustained exploration of one theme, the Charette gives priority to the development of skills for critical and creative thinking, experiential learning, problem-solving, and collaboration. Through materials exploration, making processes, and critique, the Charette forges links with the visual, tactile, and manual skill sets being taught in other Foundation classes. Each student's effort, progress, and work will contribute to a project developed over 7 weeks, to include both a charette documentation log and a 2D, 3D, and/or 4D form. Offered fall.

Many adults feel they are familiar with the classic children’s books covered in this course, but actually know only sanitized versions, most produced for the movie screen. This class will examine the original texts of several well-known titles as literature and the fascinating and sometimes disturbing stories behind them. Critical reading, thought, research and writing on these texts will be among the key skills covered. Students will read extensively and discuss what they have read in class, create and deliver peer-evaluated presentations, and write a semester research paper related to the topics of the course. They will view several related films during the semester as well.